Series

Lemon Meringue Tart

December 25, 2014 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

It’s Post-Christmas Pie Day Friday! A.k.a Boxing Day, a.k.a let’s just go with the pie because what even is “Boxing Day?” Someone in Britain made it up I think? I just know it has literally nothing to do with boxing. So.

Lemon Meringue Tart! This feels right for today.

(FYI, in the realm of Pie Day Friday, tarts are fair game. Thank goodness).

This lemon number is extra tart and creamy, with a sweet cap of smooth, torched meringue. (It’s the torched meringue that gets people ooh-ing and ahh-ing, yknow?)

OOOOOH.

AHHHHHHHH.

There are three main components/steps to get this thing up and running (into my/your mouth): crust, curd, and the aforementioned meringue. Crust is easy (and, if you want to, you can use store-bought — I won’t tell). Lemon curd is simply a matter of gentle heat, steady stirring, and then straining through a fine sieve. And meringue? A hearty whip whip whip and we’re pretty much there!

Can’t you see this beauty going down smooth with a little bubbly, and wow-ing everyone on New Year’s Eve? I can see it. The end of 2014 is going to be tart and sweet and great. Cheers to 2015!

…

I Think CHRISTMAS Thursday

December 25, 2014 by mollygilbert520 Leave a Comment

It’s CHRISTMAS! Merry day!! Since you’ve finished opening presents/eating pancakes/doing dishes, probably, I thought you might want some fun thinking links to check out (it’s still Thursday, after all)!

DIY peppermint lip balm! I want to try this.
An amazing/hysterical piece on an Emotional Support Alpaca (among other things).
Did you watch Love Actually this holiday season? I did (I always do, it’s a gem), but I can’t stop laughing/agreeing with this commentary. (ps: I hate Uncle Jamie!)
Ileana’s espresso panna cotta looks like it would be SO GOOD on New Year’s Eve, no?
What Serial Really Taught Us.
Also, Serial + Christmas + SNL = Yes.
This is fun to watch, and I’m not even a dog/cat/pet person.
Is Chinese takeout really more popular on Christmas?
Did you make Christmas Gingerbread this year? There’s still time!
The history of roasted vegetables? (#sheetpans)

MERRY MERRY!!

I Think Thursday 12.18.14

December 17, 2014 by mollygilbert520 6 Comments

Happy Thursday, friends! Here, your easy-to-digest Thursday thinklings (lots of videos this week!):

Want the recipe for those Coconutty Ganache Thumbprints up there? Grab a copy of Sheet Pan Suppers! (p.266 yo)
Have you seen the 31 Days of Pie over on Matt Bites? This Double Chocolate Malted Tart looks insane.
Newest trailer for Pixar’s next movie, Inside Out! Can’t wait to see this one.
The cutest, most edible menorah you ever did see.
More a capella, this time mixed with some Johnny Cash. SO GOOD. I loved these guys on The Sing-Off. Did anyone else watch that show? #NickLachey
More MORE a capella, and possibly the best parody of T. Swift’s “Shake It Off” I’ve seen yet… bonus points for the helpful explanation of how to actually play dreidel.
Remember these Chewy Gingerbread Chocolate Chunk Cookies? I want one.
These British kids are adorable, even when they don’t get the presents they’re expecting.
Did you catch yesterday’s holiday Mollygram? It’s for YOU!

Thanks for popping by today. Enjoy the (almost) weekend!!

Apple Crumb Pie

December 12, 2014 by mollygilbert520 4 Comments

It’s Pie Day Friday again! Thank goodness.

This week in Seattle has been pretty dark and rainy and a little bit tired, too, so a fat slice of Apple Crumb Pie seems like the right thing to do today.

I brought this pie to a big family dinner last weekend. All of the cousins can’t be together on Christmas, so we celebrated a few weeks early with big plates of homemade macaroni and cheese, fake Santa beards/reindeer antlers, and plenty of pie to go around. Plus ice cream, because warm pie duh and also because Christmas.

I love the warmth and comfort of homemade apple pie. On a chilly, windswept and drizzly day, is there anything better? Flaky, all-butter crust meets spiced and yielding apples meets crisp and oat-y crumbles. Say it with me: YES PLEASE.

And I love how easily this pie turns from dessert into breakfast, without even batting an eyelash. It just makes sense and feels right so let’s just hold hands and eat some pie, okay?

Ice cream optional (but not really).

…

I Think Thursday 12.11.14

December 11, 2014 by mollygilbert520 Leave a Comment

Well how do you like that? It’s THURSDAY! Here’s this week’s list of thinks:

If you like winning stuff, enter this cool giveaway to win some awesome OXO cooking gear!
Is Better Vanilla Extract Worth the Price?
Whoa, check out this mashup of 2014’s biggest hits. T. Swizz gets some major love (which, of course, I love).
Amber made the Fancy Tuna Melts from Sheet Pan Suppers and they look PERFECT!
Obama fills in for Colbert and it’s excellent.
So interesting and fun — Diverse Holiday Feasts from 5 New York Families. I’m in for the Jewish-Japanese Christmas meal. Which table would you choose?
Ladies and gents, IT’S HERE: the 2014 Hater’s Guide to the Williams Sonoma Catalog.
I’m a real sucker for (adorable, British) A Capella groups + Mariah Carey Xmas.
Ugh Sarah is the just the cutest.
Speaking of little cakes, remember these Meyer Lemon Gingerbread Muffins? They’re the perfect snack for holiday house guests!

Happy almost weekend!

Salty Chocolate Cream Pie (+ Giveaway!)

November 28, 2014 by mollygilbert520 10 Comments

It’s a special edition of #PieDayFriday! Today I’m bringing this salty chocolate cream pie to a Friendsgiving Potluck hosted by Renee at Will Frolic For Food, and featuring J. Q. Dickinson Salt Works!

You know, just in case you didn’t get your fill yesterday (#thanksgiving).

…What? More pie is always a good move.

This was actually my first-ever attempt at a chocolate cream pie, and I’m prettyyyyyy pleased with how it turned out. There are three different components at work here, all of which are surprisingly easy to pull off. One: dark chocolate cookie crust. Crush and mix. Easy. Two: creamy chocolate pudding. The most involved step of all (melt, whisk, boil, strain), but still, easy. And three: fresh whipped cream. Whip whip whip. Eaaaasy street dot com! Plus extra salt for flavor and a small avalanche of chocolate shavings because we’re not savages, jeez.

As I mentioned above, this virtual Friendsgiving celebration is sponsored by J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works, a rad company out of West Virginia that harvests super fresh, clean-tasting sea salt (from an ocean source that flows underneath the WV Appalachians, OBVI), and they were kind enough to provide me with an extra jar of their delicious sea salt to give away!

So if you’re interested in a nice lil jar of hand-harvested sea salt amazingness, simply leave a comment below telling me about your favorite Thanksgiving dish, or tradition, or whatever, and I’ll choose a winner on Monday evening (December 1st)!

Contest is over! Thanks friends!

Happy #PieDayFriday, all!…

Torched Marshmallow & Sweet Potato Pie

November 21, 2014 by mollygilbert520 4 Comments

This. This! THIS is what #PieDayFriday is all about. Custardy and sweetly-spiced sweet potato pie, tucked into a buttery gingersnap crust and topped with too much torched marshmallow meringue.

…Yep. Marshmallow meringue.

Y’KNOW?!?

I’ve always been a straight pumpkin pie kind of girl (side of whip), but I figure I’m 30 now, and it’s high time to give the sweet potato a chance. Turns out it’s a seamless transition.

Subbing sweet potato for pumpkin in pie isn’t an earth-shaking departure, flavor-wise (our familiar pumpkin pie spices are ever present), but I know some people have strong opinions about the merits and downfalls of each. Personally, I am not one of those people.

I’ve actually heard that the best method for this kind of pie is to use butternut squash. Maybe next time I’ll try to distinguish this pie as SWEET POTATO by subbing out some of the traditional pumpkin pie spices, or adding a drop of molasses, or using heavy cream instead of evaporated milk?

Or maybe I’ll just keep it exactly as it is. Extra marshmallow, always.

…

I Think Thursday 11.20.14

November 20, 2014 by mollygilbert520 1 Comment

It’s Thursdaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Just one week until Thanksgiving! Here are some thinks for the week:

Remember our pumpkin mousse (above)? Now’s the time.
Thanksgiving recipes across the United States! This is fun.
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is one of my fave web series. The Kevin Hart episode is fantastic.
Ohhhh man, remember DELiA*s? (Best clothing catalogs and/or users of random capital letters ever).
Executive Women, Finding (& Owning) Their Voice. Great advice in here.
Ava Ryan (age 4), Queen of Vine?
Grammar nerds rejoice! This is amazing.
Famous Women on Aging. My fave: “The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” —Lucille Ball
8 Small Cooking Habits That Make a Big Difference. It’s true. Though I have a love/hate relationship with #4.
Brunch is for Jerks? I’m going to say no.

Happy almost weekend!

Pie Day Friday!

November 14, 2014 by mollygilbert520 Leave a Comment

WELCOME TO PIE-DAY-FRIDAY, FRIENDS! I’m so so excited to present this new little series to the blog, from now through the holidays! To answer some questions you may have:

WHO: Us!

WHAT: Pies!

WHERE: Here.

WHEN: Fridays, from now to New Years!

WHY: Because we all could use a little help with our pie game, amiright? (Except for my Aunt Maggie who is baller at pies. But still).

I’m starting out with my FAVORITE pie, an oldie but a goodie, an all-around classic and integral player in the holiday season lineup… PECAN PIE! (Are there a lot of caps in this post or IS IT JUST ME?).

Last year, I wrote about this pie: “You will want to make it. You will be proud to partake of it, even. It’s rich and toasty, sweetly mapled, faintly caramel-ish – it is deep, this pecan pie. Deep in the maple/brown sugar/molasses, complex-and-nuanced sort of way, not in the literal depth sort of way. You know. It’s like, deep, man.”

…Still true.

To make this thing we toast pecans for true nuttiness, use maple syrup and a glug of molasses instead of the usual corn syrup (for a cleaner, whole-er kind of sweetness), and round the pie out with some brown sugar for depth, heavy cream and egg yolks for pure richness, and salt to make it sing. And oh, does it sing.

And if you use store-bought pie dough? (Which I do only sometimes but have no shame in doing?) Easy as PIE. (…See what I did there?)

HAPPY PIE-DAY-FRIDAY!

Click here for the recipe for Deeply Pecan Pie.